The Only Exception: Planning
by Sidney Ella Ford
Summary: Fourth installment of The Only Exception series. Embry and Leah have been busy since Christmas, and they're only getting busier. With wedding and home plans, their couple time is decreasing, and it's causing a lot of frusteration for the two. R&R
1. It's My Party

**And here is the first chapter of Planning! I have to thank **FantasyLover74 **for the title. I was stuck, and you really helped. Okay, I don't own anything recognizable, and please review!**

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><p>Two weeks had passed since Christmas. Those two weeks had been the happiest of my life, and I found myself happier and happier. I wasn't sure if the happiness was all my own, or reflections of Embry's happiness, but I liked it. Embry and I were falling deeper and deeper in love with each passing day, and we would talk for hours at a time without getting bored. If we spent all day together, we'd lay in our separate beds at night, using the mind connection to talk longer. With the upcoming wedding, we had a lot to talk about, but sometimes we got to know each other again, playing question games and just making each other laugh. We spent every second we could together, but those seconds were slowly becoming less and less. With the planning of our life together, we were working more to put money into our savings. That meant longer hours and less lunches together. I'd even started to take a few night and weekend shifts, for overtime.<p>

However, we did take one weekend just for us, and after a long Saturday out together, Embry and I were at our respective houses to get ready for our engagement party. The moms had rented out a restaurant our for an engagement gift, and we were hosting quite a large party. The people that meant most to us would be there, which meant family, the pack, and our friends. Embry's grandparents were even coming down, and the Cullens were coming for the celebration (despite being unable to eat).

I dressed simply in a basic little black dress, paired with silver flats and jewelry, and at six-thirty, Embry picked me up. We went on to the restaurant and prepared ourselves for assault. Everyone was there when we walked in hand-in-hand, and we were passed around for congratulations and hugs. We talked and mingled, catching up with the pack and talking about everything under the sun. We ate finger foods and drank sparkling juice like we were actually civilized, and it was nice to act grownup.

"Leah!" Daniella called, waving me over to wear she and Zeke were standing. "Dear, you look beautiful."

"Thank you," I said, blushing a bit.

The two hugged me, then Zeke put a hand on my shoulder. "Welcome to the family. Please, remind me of the date? Cassidy mentioned it, but I forgot."

I smiled, pleased to have a reason to say it. It felt more real when I said it out loud, and Embry loved it when I did. He wasn't in sight, but I knew he'd hear it anyway. "April fourteenth."

"Oh, a spring wedding will be lovely," Daniella said, clapping her hands together. "I can't wait. Embry's my first grandbaby to get married, and maybe there'll be a great grandbaby in the near future?"

I tried my hardest to keep a straight face. I really didn't feel like explaining my 'condition' on what was supposed to be a happy night, so I was relieved when Rosalie found me, slipping an arm around my waist.

"Zeke, Daniella, this is my best friend, Rosalie," I said, changing the subject as I slipped an arm around her waist as well.

The two stared at Rose, amazed by her beauty. It was the first time I'd ever seen them quiet, and finally Daniella spoke. "Those Venezuelans keep winning Miss Universe, but it seems like all of the beautiful people are here in Forks, Washington."

Rosalie, usually difficult around strangers, actually laughed. "Thank you. You're Embry's grandparents, correct?"

"Yes, we are," Zeke said, holding out a hand. "How do you do?"

"Fine, thank you," she said, shaking his hand. "Leah, Renesmee was looking for you."

I nodded, then pulled away from her. "I'll be right back. Or not." I held out my arms as my niece darted up, jumping up into my arms and nearly knocking me off balance.

"Hi, Aunt Leah," she said, smiling widely. "Momma let me come to the party!"

"Hi, Nessie," I said, propping her on my hip.

Zeke and Daniella didn't escape her notice, and she didn't escape their's.

"This is your niece?" Daniella asked, smiling when the baby waved.

"Yes, I am," Nessie said, smiling at the older woman. "Grampa married Nana Sue, so now Aunt Leah and Momma are sisters."

"She's simply adorable," Zeke said, studying her. "How old is she?"

Rosalie answered before I had time to think about it. "She's four, but she's small for her age."

Nessie nodded, continuing to smile. "I'll be grown up one day, though. Then I can have a wedding like Aunt Leah!"

"But not too soon," Rose said, running a hand down the baby's hair.

"Daddy says not until hell freezes over."

Zeke and Daniella laughed jovially at her while I bit my lip and Rose stifled a laugh, her eyes darting around for Bella or Edward. "And that's the one thing your daddy and I agree on, but remember how we're not supposed to over share, and we're not supposed to repeat things Daddy says if Momma wasn't around to hear him say it?"

Nessie's mouth made an 'o'. "I'm sorry, Aunt Rosalie! I forgot!"

"Are you her aunt too?" Daniella asked, looking perplexed.

"Yes, her father's my brother," Rosalie said, motioning to Edward, standing across the room, and giving her a scared look. "We try not to use bad language around her, but sometimes people forget."

"Her uncles are terrible," a voice said from behind me, then the person was slipping past me to hug Zeke and Daniella. "Hey, Mimi; hey, Gramps."

Nessie reached out for Embry when he let go of his grandparents, and he took her from me, throwing her into the air. "Uncle Embry! Momma let me come to the party!"

He grinned back at her, holding her at arms length by her underarms. "I see that! How much sugar did Aunt Rose give you before you came?"

She giggled, making a 'shhh' sign with her finger on her lips. "Jacob isn't allowed to know. She said it was a surprise for him!"

"Well do you want to go find Jacob?" he asked, whispering conspiratorially.

"Yeah!"

"I'll take her," Rosalie offered, holding her arms out for the baby.

Nessie jumped into Rosalie's arms, and then they went to find Jacob. I shook my head and rolled my eyes, just waiting for something to explode. Embry's arms surrounded me, though, distracting me.

Daniella shifter her attention back to us, looking to her grandson. "I was just asking Leah if there were any great-grandchildren appearing in the near future?" This was one of the times that her tactlessness was bothering me.

"We'll see," Embry replied with a roll of his eyes. "But we're not planning for any right now." _I'm so, so, so sorry Lee. _

_It'll be okay. Just change the subject. Tonight is all about us._

"Well, where are you going to live?" Zeke asked, and I sent up a silent prayer of thanks.

"I bought some mountain property with my savings and we break ground Monday," Embry said, smiling happily since he got to brag. "It was my Christmas gift to Leah, and kind of a warm-up to proposing."

"I've taught you well, son," his grandfather replied, mock-applauding.

I grinned, leaning my head against his shoulder. "He's too good to me."

I could practically hear Embry's eye roll. "You keep saying that, but at the end of the day you're the one who makes sure the laundry's done and I've eaten something other than red meat."

"She's already a better wife than me, and you aren't even married," Daniella joked. "Ezekiel's the one who makes sure I eat my vegetables and have my head screwed on right."

"Well my mom is a neat freak, and my dad died from a heart attack. I just want him fresh and clean and healthy," I said with a shrug.

Embry kissed my head. "And I love you for that, but I think I can eat a steak without a salad and be okay."

I playfully elbowed him. "But you won't because you know it bothers me."

Zeke and Daniella chuckled at the exchange, then let us free to talk to more people. By the end of the night, we'd been poked and prodded, hugged and kissed, and interrogated to the highest form of the art. Everyone congratulated us more as they left, then the restaurant staff came in to clean up as we left.

While we loved the company of our families, we were glad to go, because - true to his word - Embry had decided to make a camp for us on the property. We stopped by at our respective houses to get clothes and camping stuff (changing out of our 'fancy' clothing while we were at it) before heading to the property that would soon be our home. We set up a campfire and a weatherproof tent (for my benefit, as I'd grown accustomed to sleeping protected from the elements), then settled in for the night, cuddled in blankets and talking.

"I thought I was going to phase when Daniella started talking about babies," I said, resting my head in the crook of his neck. "I felt sorry that I wouldn't be able to give her any great-grandchildren."

"Well, we'll see about that," Embry said softly, kissing my head.

I looked up at him, a small smile playing on my lips. "You really want to be a daddy, don't you?"

He nodded, smiling shyly. "And I don't care if you can't have kids, even though I think you can. If we adopt, I'll still love the baby just as much, and I'll still love sharing the experience with you."

"You know what?"

"What?"

"You're amazing," I said, a full smile spreading across my face. He was just too optimistic sometimes, and I didn't know what I'd do without him. "I love you, Bry."

"I love you, too, Lee." His lips descended to mine, and we shared a sweet kiss.

After the long day and night, we didn't do much more talking, or anything else for that matter. We put out the fire and went into the tent, where we went to sleep for the night. It was a relief to just have a calm night after the crazy day, and I knew Embry felt the same.

Things were starting up for us, and it was going to be an interesting ride.

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><p><strong>AN: Reviews, please? **

**~Sidney**


	2. Breaking Ground

**Okay, you get an unexpected update! It's kind of my own personal celebration of getting my internet at my father's house (which has been out for over a year) fixed. So no more on again off again posting from me! Who else is happy? Anyway, I don't own anything you recognize, and please review!**

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><p>A low whistle came from behind me as I walked past a group of men. "Hey, sexy, wanna join me later for a beer?"<p>

I turned around, intending on setting someone straight, then smirked when I saw the face of my fiancé. "What are you doing?"

Embry jumped down from a stack of bricks. "Waiting for you. I wanted to introduce you to the group that'll be building the house, but _someone_ was just going to walk on by."

"You didn't have to be a complete pig about getting my attention," I pointed out, crossing my arms.

"I'm sorry, beautiful," he said, leaning down to kiss my forehead. "Leah, meet the crew; crew, meet my fiancée, Leah. She'll be around the site, so you'll probably see her fairly often."

A week into the construction on the property, I wanted to see the place. After work the next Monday, I showed up to the property to check it out. Embry had been coming everyday to check up on the work, and I had been looking for him when he decided to make an ass out of himself.

The crew mumbled their hellos then went back to their work, which was shutting down for the evening. Machines were turned off, supplies were covered with tarps, and what was left was the beginnings of a structure. Our house. I smiled brilliantly at the thought, and when I looked up at Embry, he was doing the same. Our eyes met and we both laughed, then my arms went around his neck and I brought him down for a kiss.

"Get some, Call!" a familiar voice called, and I turned my head to glare at Paul.

"Go away," I snapped, then turned back to my fiancé. "What's _he_ doing here?"

Embry touched my face, silently telling me not to get worked up over it. "He works for the business, and I thought it might be good to have one of our own working up here. It could come in handy."

I pouted. "Fine, but I can't promise not to kick his ass if he bothers me."

"Ass kicking permitted," he laughed, kissing the corner of my mouth. "Let's go get something to eat and then we can relax."

"Or look through wedding planning magazines…" I said, biting my lip. "Some of the women at the hospital took it upon themselves to bring me some, and the men's wives sent more with them."

Embry groaned. It hadn't even been a month yet and people were already overloading us with advice. "And the female Cullens already got dibs on you for Saturday to give you some resumes of good planners and designers. Okay, let's go to the diner, then we can go to your house and go through the magazines."

"We'll have an Embry-Leah day soon, I promise. No wedding, no building, no nothing."

"Swear?"

"Swear."

"Kiss?" he asked, a small smile playing on his lips.

"Kiss." I stood on tiptoe to kiss him, but we were interrupted again.

"Still here!" Paul sang, walking up to us.

I glared at him, my hands still at the nape of Embry's neck, absentmindedly combing through his hair. "Go _away_."

"Paul, please," Embry said, sounding half-amused and half-irritated.

"Whatever, whatever," Paul said, rolling his eyes. "Don't forgot the pack meeting Sunday."

Embry let go of me and cuffed Paul on the head. "Go away. And of course we won't forget. The only day of the week we were going to have all day together and Jake decides to rearrange patrols."

I huffed at the reminder and walked away, back to his car, which he'd left at the hospital for me to use, opting instead to run to the property (though how he'd explained that one was a mystery to me). "Let's go. And Paul? Say goodbye to Rachel, because I'm going to check that you get all night shifts."

"Bitch…" he replied, then groaned and fell to the ground, clutching his now broken jaw.

"Don't call my fiancée a bitch," Embry said, smirking down upon the idiot.

"Come on, babe, I'm hungry," I said, laughing at Paul's pain.

"Love's made you a (_part of anatomy I don't appreciate my fiancé being called_), Call!" Paul managed before Embry got in the car.

My fiancé laughed, opening the passenger door for me. "Whatever."

We went to the diner for dinner, then watched out the window as snow started to fall. We talked and ate a large dinner, getting a pie to go, then made our way back to my house as the snow continued to fall. Charlie and Seth were home watching a game, and informed me that Mom was at Sam and Emily's, helping out with a sick Via, who was not taking the icy weather well.

In the kitchen, we sat down with a stack of magazines, scissors, glue, paper, pencils, and a huge slice of pie to share. We talked while we went through magazines, cutting out pictures of decorations and articles, writing down websites, and making pages of samples and ideas. We went through half the pie and a pot of coffee before we called it a night, a few hours later. It was nearly ten by the time he left, after we spent a bit hanging out with Charlie and Seth. Mom came in as Embry left, and I stayed up for an extra hour with her, showing her what Embry and I had done and gone through. She liked our ideas, and made a few suggestions of her own. We talked for a bit before I started yawning widely, and she insisted I go to bed, which I didn't argue about.

I slept in the next morning, not going into work until two because of the later shift I was working. The day was especially hectic, because - along with getting three new patients - we were short two nurses. I ended up staying more than two hours later than I planned picking up the slack, and I wasn't on the road home until nearly one o'clock in the morning, in Mom's car that I'd borrowed for the day. I drove slowly and carefully, making sure I stayed awake and was aware of every little thing in the road. I finally got into bed at two, but then I couldn't fall asleep for at least an hour. The worst part was that the next day was a normal shift, which meant I had to be at the hospital by eight, and since patrols had been lessened, I'd grown used to my eight hours a night.

"Babe. _Babe_. I called your name three times."

I was in such an exhausted daze, I didn't even realize Embry was trying to get my attention. "What are you doing here?"

"Picking you up. It's four-fifteen."

I looked at the clean bedding in my hands, realized I'd folded it already and was just standing in front of the shelf. "Sorry."

He took my hands after I'd put the sheets away, then looked into my eyes. "Jayne said I'd find you in here, and that you've been off all day. How much sleep did you get?"

"Three hours," I said, trying to keep my vision from swimming.

"Leah!"

"I'm sorry!" I whined, shrugging off my uniform and tossing it into the laundry bin. "I was working late because a few of the girls are sick."

He looked at me skeptically, then announced it was time to go. I got my things and we left, but instead of driving to the diner, as per tradition, he drove to his house. He grabbed a bag and went through his drawers, getting clothing for a few days and pajamas.

"What are you doing?" I asked, slipping between him and his dresser.

"I talked to Carlisle and Jayne, and they said you've been exhausted all week, so I've taken it upon myself to make sure you take a sick day and catch up on sleep."

"Embry!"

He put his hands on my shoulders. "You need sleep. You said yourself you only had three hours of sleep, you have purple bags under your eyes, and your eyes are milky and creepy looking. You're going to take a bath and take a nap while I make dinner, and then you're going to go to bed and sleep until you're not tired anymore."

I put my hands on my hips. "And that requires an overnight bag because?"

"I'm staying with you. Mom is working late and I already talked to Sue. She and Charlie are going to be in town for a few days at his house, and Seth will be at yours to keep an eye on us."

"But you need to work. No, _I_ need to work, Bry. You do what you want, but I've _got _to work."

Embry shook his head, cupping my cheeks. "You've been working like crazy since Christmas. You need a little break from everything."

I stamped a foot. "There's too much to do for a break. There's the house and the wedding and-"

"They can wait."

"No! You've done everything so far and I want to earn my keep in all of this. I need to work, Embry."

His face hardened, and he dropped his hands from my face. "The house is a gift to you. Stop acting like you have to get even or one-up me. You need sleep, and you will sleep. And if you do this again-"

"Do what again? Get tired? And what will you do, huh? Put me in time out?"

"If you let yourself get this exhausted again just because you don't feel like you're 'even' with me on what's being done, you can stop working altogether."

I laughed in his face, then glared. "Excuse me? Nineteen-twenties calling, they want their social norm back."

He glared back at me. "You're not funny."

"And you don't own me, so get that out of your big, moronic, jackass head," I snapped, turning around and starting towards the door.

Whatever angry trance Embry was in, he snapped out of suddenly, reaching out and grabbing my hand. "Lee, wait." He yanked me to him and I fell into his chest, into a tight embrace. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I said."

I squeezed him back, feeling guilt roll off of him in waves, as well as confusion. "What's with the mood swings, Sybil?"

"What's with the bad jokes?"

"I don't know, I think I'm crazy. _You_ think I'm crazy, too, apparently."

"I'm sorry, babe," he breathed into my hair, kissing the top of my head, just like that first day. "I love you so much. You're just overly exhausted and irritable, and that makes me overly exhausted and irritable, and you _know_ I don't think I own you. I'm just really worried about you, baby."

"So now I'm your baby?" I tried to joke, looking up at him.

Embry ducked his head pressed his forehead against mine, whispering jokingly, "If you act like a baby, I'll treat you like one."

I tried to kiss him, but he dodged it and put his hands on my face again.

"No, you're not a baby, but when you worry me I tend to think of you like you're younger than me. You certainly act like it."

I smiled up at him. "I don't particularly like being older than you, so think of me as younger all you want."

He traced my lips with his thumb, then kissed my forehead. "I love you, Leah."

"I love you, too, Embry."

"Then will you please make me happy and get some rest?"

I tried to kiss him again, but he held me back.

"Not until you say you'll rest."

"Okay, I'll get some rest."

His lips covered mine, moving gently, then he pulled away. "Let's go. I'll order in Chinese so you'll stand a chance at having good food, then we can curl up in bed and sleep all night and all day tomorrow."

I nodded reluctantly.

Later that night, after we were in our pajamas and I'd taken a catnap, we sat at my dinner table. Brady and Collin were over, hanging out after an afternoon patrol, so Seth was occupied and not watching our every move. We playfully fed each other bits of pepper chicken and house lo mien, then ate some of our leftover pie from earlier that week. Afterward, we locked ourselves in my room and laid together in my bed, enjoying each other's company without talking about the wedding or the house.

Instead, Embry told me how work had been going, and how Jacob had had to deal with a drunk costumer that day. We laughed at Jake's expense, then I fell asleep on his chest after a while. I didn't wake up for a long time, until the next afternoon. We had dinner with our family, then I called in sick for Friday as well, and Embry and I resumed our sleep-a-thon Friday. Rosalie was definitely wrong about no sleep being a good thing, because it was a pretty damn good thing for us to do.

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><p><strong>AN: Reviews, please? **

**~Sidney**


	3. Dressing Leah

**This chapter is pretty funny, if I do say so myself, but it's funny in that sick sadistic way you all know I love. Think about the title, then think about how that could be incorporated with torture. Now read and review, and remember that I own nothing recognizable.**

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><p>After that week and the weekend, I stopped working night and day shifts in the same number of days. It was too much to handle, and it was easier if I worked night shifts Monday and Tuesday, half days Wednesday, and day shifts Thursday and Friday. I would pick up weekend shifts when I had time or patience, but I stopped pushing myself so hard. After a few weeks of that schedule, I got used to it, and that made Embry happier with me.<p>

Valentine's Day was spent at our cliff. I packed a picnic and Embry made a camp for us. We had to go after I got off my late shift the day before, so we spent the first half of the day together - sleeping mostly - and I worked the rest of the day. It wasn't a big deal. I already had a ring, and all Embry wanted from me was my company (and some kissing, but we both were tired so that didn't go well). He got me a single rose and a simple gold necklace with a heart pendant, and I got him a few CDs.

A few days after Valentine's Day was my birthday. We spend the night at my house - my last birthday home - and had a big birthday dinner with our families. It was a nice evening, and I got a few articles of clothing and jewelry from everyone. Embry had surprised me at work earlier that day with a bouquet of flowers and chocolates, so we spent most of the night talking and goofing off with my family and his mother. It was a nice evening, and I liked having something that wasn't overdone and extravagant as a party.

At the beginning of March, the countdown began. The first weekend in March, Emily and Rosalie dragged me out to register for wedding gifts. The wedding invitations were to be sent out soon, and they insisted that a scanning spree in an actual city would be all we needed. Armed with the scanning things, and newly registered at a store that specialized in all things home and wedding, we started our trek. A store attendant followed us around, helping us out since there weren't but a few other people in the store. Everything that caught our attention was discussed at great length, and I grew impatient with my best friends.

At the end of the day, I was exhausted, and Emily was missing Via, so we went back home, only to go back the next day. It was a long few days of registering and scanning and arguing. In the end, though, we had a nice selection, and I was pleased with the outcome. Embry came the third day, and together we made our final selections. Rosalie and Emily approved, then let us go so we could have a nice dinner together in the city.

"So," Emily said the next Saturday over lunch in Port Angeles. "You know what you haven't said anything about planning?"

I swallowed and put down my fork, trying to think about what she could possibly be talking about.

Rosalie, however, seemed to be on the same wavelength. "Your honeymoon?"

I choked on air, breaking into a coughing fit. "Oh my god, you two!"

Emily smacked me on my back, effectively ending my fit. "What? It's a reasonable question."

"No, it's not," I said, taking a sip of water. "What the _hell_ brought that on?"

She blushed deeply. "Nothing. Just wondering."

Rosalie laughed, then leaned across the table. "Haven't you planned anything?"

"Yeah, two weeks of alone time in our home," I said, finding myself blushing.

"But that's not a honeymoon," Emily said, looking let down.

"What are you, living vicariously? If I recall, you went to _Canada_. Do you know what's in Canada? _Moose_."

Rosalie laughed, irritating my cousin. "It's better than nothing."

I huffed. "Humor me."

She smiled, as if she'd been waiting for this. "Well, the first time, Emmett took us to a private island. Then there was Paris, Brazil, Cozumel… Oh! And Greece. Greece was nice."

I faked a gag. "I don't need to hear this. Embry and I just want to be completely secluded and alone, and the mountains are a good place for that. The house will be fine."

"So you're still waiting until-"

"Yes!" I snapped at Rosalie, who snickered at my temper.

"Someone's frustrated…" Emily muttered, then she and Rosalie burst into laughter, earning a few looks.

"What time is my appointment?" I demanded, trying to find a way out.

Rosalie checked her watch. "Half an hour. We should get going. Sue and Cassie are meeting us."

And that's how we got to the dress shop. It was a world of white, lace, chiffon, silk, beads, couture, and flowers. I could tell this would either be my personal heaven or my personal hell. And things were leaning towards hell.

"Ah, you must be the two o'clock ," said a man, coming out from behind the counter as we came into the entrance. "Now, which one of you is our beautiful blushing bride? Miss Leah, correct?"

Emily gently pushed my forward, and I gave a small wave. "That's me."

The man ushered us down a hall to the real deal area. We all sat down and a woman joined him with a pen and a clipboard. As soon as we were all settled, she began her interrogation. "What color dress are you thinking about?"

"White," I said, making it sound more like a question. It was a wedding dress for a traditional wedding. Why would it be anything but white?

"That doesn't really narrow it down, now does it?" she asked with a chuckle, marking something. "But with your skin tone, white is definitely a good option. What fabric? Would you want silk or lace or something else?"

I shrugged, looking to my friends and the moms for help. They all smiled encouragingly, but I still didn't know how to respond.

"Well, lets just see what looks better once we get to trying dresses on. What about length? You're fairly tall, so would you want a floor length? Or maybe an ankle length?"

"I was thinking floor length," I said, slowly becoming overwhelmed by the questions.

She nodded, making more marks. "Okay. Most importantly, what style?"

I gave her a blank look.

"Ball gown, full skirt, mermaid style, strapless, halter, sleeved, spaghetti straps-"

"Let's play that one by ear, too!" I said, trying to sound enthusiastic, but sounding more panicked and annoyed.

The woman and the man exchanged smirks, then the man looked to me. "When's the big day?"

"April fourteenth."

"Nerves," he said simply, looking back to the woman. "Well, let's get started. Look around, choose some you like, and if you find one that's not in your size, most of the time we'll be able to alter it."

We all looked around for a little while, and before I knew it, I was being shoved into a dressing room with Emily and my mother. The first dress was horribly too tight, and didn't even zip. The second was too loose, and it was couture so it couldn't properly be altered. The third was the first to be seen by everyone other than my Mom and Emily. It was okay, but it was a long sleeved dress, the style was far too old for me, and it looked eerily similar to the dress that my mother wore to marry Charlie. The next few dresses were all failures as well. Too short, too fluffy, too everything. I was growing extremely frustrated with the entire ordeal.

"I'd rather eat raw for a year than try on one more dress!" I finally said, grabbing my shirt from the floor and yanking it on, determined to get the hell out of there.

"Leah," my mother said, grabbing my shoulders as I went for my jeans. "It's okay. I know it's frustrating, but there's barely a month before the wedding. We need to find your dress."

I glared, then ripped myself from her grasp to pick up my jeans, stepping clumsily into them and yanking them up. "I'll wear a burlap sack!"

Emily got a look on her face, then whispered something in my mother's ear. Damn, it was too low to hear… They'd both been around wolves too long, so I couldn't hear them. In just a moment, my mother was gone, then Rosalie was there. Nothing is scarier than Rosalie not getting what she wants, and apparently she wanted me to find my wedding dress. The next think I knew, my shirt was ripped down the back by one of her insanely claw-like fingernails, and her hand hovered dangerously close to the side seam of my jeans.

"Rosalie! What the hell am I supposed to wear now that you've ripped off my freaking clothes?" I screeched, clutching my tattered shirt to my body.

"I didn't rip all of your clothes off, but I can," she said threateningly, touching a single fingernail to my hip. "You need to find a dress. There are only five weeks until the wedding, and you _will not_ wear a burlap sack."

I growled at her, and she hissed back. "Rosalie!"

"Leah!" she mocked, sliding her finger a fraction of an inch, making about three stitches break. "Now, I can take them off, or you can take them off. Pick. _Fast_."

I growled again, then dropped my shirt and slid my jeans back down my legs. "Fine, bitch…"

She smiled, then took the next dress of the hanger. "Put it on."

"Well since I have nothing else to wear…"

They zipped me up into the dress, then made me leave the dressing room to show the moms and our attendants. A little while later, I asked Rosalie why no one else was coming in. She smiled and told me she'd rented out the store for the afternoon, because she knew things would go like this. I was furious.

"Can I please go?" I begged, my arms crossed over my chest as I stood in only my underwear. "I'm tired, I'm cranky, and I'm just going to get married naked."

Rosalie tossed me a tank top she'd produced from her handbag. "Why don't we take one more look around, and if that doesn't work, we'll just have Alice get one of her friends to ship you one."

We looked around for ages, and they had me do more looking this go round. I agreed to let the moms and my best friends choose one more dress each, and I picked three of my own choice. Six dresses later, nada. I finally put on my last dress and walked out to show it to everyone. They all exchanged growing smiles, then I knew we were done.

"Yay, I'm not getting married naked!" I said sarcastically. I looked at myself in the huge mirror, then I understood the smiles. It was _definitely_ my wedding dress.

The dress needed no altering, so we were able to take it then. While Mom and the attendants prepared the dress for travel, Emily went to her bag and pulled out a long sleeved blouse and a skirt for me. I snatched then from her, dressing while I demanded to know why they had extra clothes, as if _I'd_ be difficult (please note sarcasm).

"We knew you'd put up a fight," she said, handing me a hairbrush as well.

Rosalie folded my jeans and took my tattered shirt off the ground, then turned to Emily and smiled. "Well it worked."

Emily nodded in agreement. "Sure did. You're a genius."

"And you doubted me."

"What are you two talking about?" I demanded, slipping my shoes on.

Rosalie smiled wider. "We planted the dress."

"Excuse me?"

"I had it made weeks ago by an acquaintance of mine from Madrid. He sent it here last week, and we hid it. We knew you'd love it, but you wouldn't accept it unless you felt like you deserved it, and what better way than-"

"To put me through hours of absolute hell? You are the single most annoying, persistent, impossible, _insane_-"

Emily ran up to me, putting her hands on my vibrating shoulders. "Don't phase."

I let out an annoyed scream, then shoved past my cousin. "Screw you, Rosalie!"

My best friend simply laughed. "Leah! Would you have accepted it otherwise? You _hate_ when I buy things for you, and I bought the dress, by the way. You can't say no now, because you picked it yourself."

"I was going to buy my own-"

"Consider it an engagement gift from the Cullens."

"I don't like when-"

She places her hands on my shoulders, laughing. "Leah! I knowingly put you through an afternoon of torture with the knowledge of your family, made you try on thirty - yes, I counted - dresses, and destroyed your clothes. You've successfully paid for your dress and more by way of entertaining us all. I really should have brought a video camera."

I slowly calmed down, then finally looked into her golden eyes. "You owe me."

"Fine, next time I have a wedding, you can do something to torture me. And better, Alice won't be able to see it, so you can surprise me!"

I had to admit, the idea was appealing. "_Fine_. Can we go now?"

Later that night, I tucked the dress safely into my closet. I took a deep breath, then closed the door. After changing into my pajamas, I crawled into my bed. _You can come in now_.

Embry - who had been watching a game with Charlie in the living room when we got home - came inside, closing the door behind him. He tucked me under his arm, holding me protectively, as if he knew something bad was going to happen and wanted me as close as possible. I asked him about it, but he just chuckled.

"It's okay. Go to sleep, Lee. I love you."

"I love you, too, Bry," I said, tilting my head up for a goodnight kiss.

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><p><strong>AN: Reviews? I'll probably actually post another chapter tonight, then another tomorrow. After that, you may get nothing until NEXT Sunday, because I'm going on another trip. **

**~Sidney**


	4. Limitations

**Who's happy for another chapter? I'm spoiling you all with two updates in one day. Well, one day for me. It might not be so if you're in some odd time zone, but you get it. I own nothing recognizable, and please review!**

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><p>The next morning, over breakfast, Mom, Cassie (who came over for breakfast), Seth, and Charlie all said they had something to talk to us about. After eating, Embry and I sat together on the couch, waiting. Embry had a look on his face that made me nervous, like the night before, and I could only imagine what they could want to discuss. He wouldn't answer me when I asked him through the mind link, and I found myself terrified.<p>

"Leah," Mom said, looking at me. "Yesterday, your stepfather had a thought, and after we all discussed it, Cassie and I agree."

I couldn't imagine anything that would cause the situation to be so serious that she referred to Charlie as 'your stepfather' (a rarity). "What?"

"We understand that you aren't sexually active -"

I choked on air, glancing at Embry, who was blushing.

"- but you are engaged. You will be married soon -"

"_Very_ soon," Cassie interjected.

"- and we all came to a decision."

I looked at Embry again, who looked submissive.

Seth snickered, earning a light smack from Mom. "It's your idea, Dad. _You _tell her."

The shock alone from hearing Seth call Charlie 'Dad' was enough to keep my quiet long enough for Charlie to share his idea.

"We think you shouldn't spend the night together after the fourteenth," he said, blushing as deeply as Embry. "I already talked to Embry."

I looked at Embry. "_That's_ what you weren't telling me last night?"

He shrugged sheepishly. "You were tired, and Emily warned me you were in bitch-mode."

I smacked his chest. "You scared me! I thought you were dying or in witness protection or something." I hit him even harder.

"Well, back to the subject," Cassie said, holding back a laugh, but saving her son from further beating. "You have to be supervised and awake by midnight the thirteenth. You can't spend the night in the same house, and you can't sleep in the same bed during the day. If you want to take a nap or something, one of you has to be awake and not in the room, or you have to be on the couch and someone else has to be home."

"If this is to keep us from having sex, you know we if we _really_ wanted to we could find a way, right?" Embry said, earning another smack. "But we're not going to."

"We're waiting until we're married," I said, for the billionth time since we'd gotten together. "It was his idea in the first place."

Mom smiled. "Which is why this should be no problem. This should be just fine. And you still have a few days."

I huffed in anger. "You all seem proud of yourselves."

Charlie cleared his throat. "It's a good way to keep out of trouble."

"Because we were so trouble prone before."

Everyone looked at me.

"Fine! I get it! Seth, _shut up_!"

My brother fell to the floor laughing, holding his stomach and curling up, tears running down his face. Of course he was thrilled. Embry and I already had a sexless relationship, and now we would have no privacy whatsoever. I wanted to beat the laughter out of Seth…

After everyone successfully calmed down (*cough*_Seth_*cough*), we all split up for the day. Charlie was going fishing with Billy, Seth was running patrols, and Embry and I were going over wedding stuff with the moms. As Seth went to change into his standard cutoffs, I had a thought, and I followed him when he came out and headed outside.

"Seth, can I talk to you for a minute?" I said once we got outside.

"Shoot," he said, turning to me and smiling.

"I've been meaning to talk to you for a while about something."

"Yeah?"

I jerked my head towards the old swing near the woods. "Let's sit for a minute."

Seth obeyed, and we sat on the old wooden seat. "Are you okay, Leah?"

"I'm fine. I just wanted to ask you to do me a favor."

"What?"

"Well," I said slowly, twisting my hands together. "I want you to give me away."

He had a blank expression, then he looked at his lap. "Yeah, yeah, of course I will, Leah. I thought you might want Dad to-"

"Dad's dead," I said, unsure how to react.

"Sorry, I mean Charlie. Yeah, _our_ dad is dead, but he's not."

"Why do you call Charlie Dad?" I asked.

Seth shrugged. "I always called our dad 'Daddy' to his face, like you did. Even up until he died. I mean, I was picked on sometimes for being fifteen and calling my dad 'Daddy', but that's what he was. He was a Daddy. Charlie's a Dad, and now he's our Dad."

I felt tears spring to my eyes. "I don't want Charlie to five me away. I was never his to give away, at least, not when it really mattered. I was Daddy's, and you're all I have left of him. I want you to give me away."

He nodded, taking my hand and squeezing it. "I'll give you away. Yeah." He choked a little, and I saw he had tears in his eyes as well.

I reached out to hug him, and we cried together for a few minutes, like we did when our father died, two years before. But Seth was right. Our father was a Daddy, not a Dad. He was a comforter, a hugger, a kisser, a tickle monster. He would wipe our tears away and kiss all of our boo-boos as children. And while Charlie was a Dad, at the point in my life I'd lost my father, there was no way I could call Charlie Dad. I could think of him as a Dad, but in the end, he just wasn't Daddy.

"I love you, Lee," Seth said softly, squeezing me tightly.

"Love you, too, Sethy," I whispered, and then it was over.

We didn't have to cry anymore. We got up and said goodbye, Seth walked into the woods, I walked into the house, and we went on with our days.

The wedding was finally coming together, and I was much less frustrated with putting together samples and choices than I was with actually finding them in the first place. At the end of the day, we had several things figured out, the venue being one of them. We chose to get married in a small chapel, not trusting the weather for an outside wedding, and we would have our reception on the beach, under tenting.

That night, Embry and I took full advantage of the last of our days being allowed to sleep in the same bed. We turned in early and laid in my bed, talking since we hadn't had a chance to for a few days.

"What did you and Seth talk about earlier?" he asked, his fingers running through my hair.

"I asked him to give me away," I murmured, remembering what was so appealing about long hair. "He said he would."

"That's good. Why's your hair so long?"

I propped up to look at him, a slightly hurt expression on my face. "I thought you liked it. I like it."

He put a hand between my shoulder blades, pushing my back down to his chest. "No, no, it's fine. I just wondered. I thought it bothered you to run with long fur."

"It doesn't bother me anymore. It feels good, actually. And why are you asking me? Your hair hasn't been this long in three years."

"You seem to like playing with it. I do need to trim it soon, though. Gotta look fresh for the big day."

I giggled, running my hand over his bare chest. "You sound like a girl. My silly, oversized man-girl. I don't want to go without seeing you. It'll just be harder and harder the closer we actually get to the wedding."

Embry sighed, his arms encircling me. "That's why Charlie suggested this. He told me when he was talking to me. He said he knew that we weren't having sex, but he just worried that the closer we got to the wedding, the more tempted we'd be, and he was doing it to help us reach the wedding night without ruining what we'd been working on for months."

"Charlie said all that?"

"He resembled a tomato, but yes, he said it. He said he'd wished he waited when he married Bella's mom, and that with-"

"I'm sorry, but if you say anything about my mother's sex life, you will _never_ have one, because the images will haunt me for eternity."

"Shutting up now."

I trailed my fingers up his chest and to his neck, blindly tracing the hard line of his jaw, then his full, soft lips. "I love you, Embry."

He kissed my fingers. "I love you, too, Leah."

I continued to blindly trace his face, feeling his soft skin. His high cheekbones, his nose, and his forehead, where I found his skin was wrinkled from worrying. I propped up again to look at his face. He watched my face as I smoothed out the wrinkles.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm just thinking about you."

"I don't know how I feel about you making a worried face and thinking about me."

"You make me worry," he joked, taking my hand and kissing it. "I'm fine, I swear. I'm just thinking about something."

I went back to tracing his face, murmuring, "What?"

He looked into my eyes for a full minute before talking. "Did you not notice Seth call Charlie Dad today?"

I nodded, touching his lips again. "I already talked to Seth about that. You don't have to worry about my feelings. We talked about it and I understand it. I'm not going to, but I understand why Seth does, and I guess I feel the same way. It's just difficult to think of anyone filling the empty spaces my father left when he died."

"Did I fill the empty spaces Sam left when he left?"

"Those spaces were imaginary," I said, pressing my fingers against his lips to keep him from interrupting. "You take up your own space and more." I touched his chin, then leaned down and pressed my lips to his.

He kissed back feverishly, his hands slipping under the back of my shirt to massage my back. After a long time of kissing, we pulled back from air, and Embry chuckled breathlessly. "I don't think my words are working."

I smiled, then kissed his mouth lightly. "Good. I don't like you comparing yourself to Sam."

"So every time I compare myself to Sam I get kissed like _that_?" he asked, a light smile playing on his lips. "Sam is bigger than me, Sam is smarter than me, Sam is stronger than me, Sam is-"

I covered his mouth with my hand. "I'm selective. And - to disprove _everything_ you just said - you're probably two whole inches taller, you have a freaking three-point-nine-nine-nine grade point average, you stretched a smashed car open to get me out of it, and _you_ are the one that I'm marrying in a month, and that makes me happier than all of the nice things _he_ ever did for me combined."

His smile was blinding. "How do you do that?"

"What?"

"Know what to say about something I'm worried about, even when I don't say anything."

"Because you're my imprint and I love you, and I can feel what you feel. You're so cute when you're insecure."

He leaned up to kiss me again. "I love you, too."

I wrinkled my nose at him, then chuckled. "I know. I can feel it."

The next few days, we spent every second possible in bed. It was strange, but it seemed like being in the same bed made us both more comfortable and happy. It put us in our own little bubble, and no one could hurt us there. On our final day, we were both moody. At eleven-fifty, we left my bedroom, then sat on the porch for the last ten minutes until our limitations started. At midnight, Cassie called Embry to remind him to come home soon, and Seth looked out the window to check on us.

"Maybe I should go home," Embry said forlornly, looking at his lap, where our hands sat intertwined.

I nodded reluctantly. "Maybe so."

He wrapped his arms around me, giving me a bear-hug. "One month. One month until you're all mine, and we'll never spend a night apart again."

"I can't wait," I said, somewhat breathlessly, as he was squeezing the air out of my lungs. "I love you, Embry."

"I love you, Leah," he said in my ear, then gave me a kiss that left me dizzy, before running into the woods to phase and run home.

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><p><strong>AN: The emotional brother-sister moment with Seth and Leah made me cry when I wrote it. Did it make you? Answer in a review!**

**~Sidney**


	5. Deprived

**I'm sooooooo sorry I couldn't get this up until now. Internet was a no-go on vacation, and my own internet acted up before I left, so I couldn't post this. But, on the bright side, this is a long one. Okay, now to this chapter. This chapter is weird, as always, and holds a warning similar to other chapters in previous stories - there is some affection, but no sex - **_**at all**_**. And no insinuated anything. There's just some affection, and it's actually meant to be funny. I own nothing recognizable, and please review!**

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><p><em>How are we all running at the same time?<em> came Jared's mind voice.

_Been cooped up all day with Claire. She's got the flu. _Quil answered, speeding up as he ran and loosened up his muscles. _She seems to think her princess bed is big enough for the both of us. _

Seth snickered in his mind. _Poor Claire. I'm actually supposed to be running patrol. Leah followed me. _

_I did not follow you! _I protested, growling. _I needed to run off some stress_.

_Oh yeah, aren't you and Embry being kept on some kind of restriction? _Jacob asked, joining in the infernal conversation.

Seth was laughing even harder. _Yeah. It's only been a few days and she broke a lamp. _

_Did you phase? _

_No,_ Seth thought, tears actually coming out of his eyes he was laughing so hard in wolf form. _She had a spaz attack when she couldn't find him in her sleep, and she got so scared she jumped off the bed and her head crushed the lamp. _

I sped up, looking for him, fully intending on sinking my teeth into his tail. _Shut up, Seth!_

_Well if you miss him so much, why aren't you hanging out with him?_ Jared asked, as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

_He's checking out the property, and I didn't want to see Paul, because if I did, Jake would be short a future brother-in-law. _

_Have at it, _Jacob thought, snorting.

_Oh, and I was supposed to remind Jacob and Quil that you all have tux fittings tomorrow at three. Seth and Charlie too. _

_Oh, fun, tuxedos!_ Quil thought sarcastically. _Why did he want to have a real wedding? I recall you saying something about Vegas on Christmas? _

I actually laughed at that. _I'd be just as happy with that, but he wants to 'show me off' as he calls it. _

Jacob snorted. _And how ugly are the bridesmaid dresses going to be? And who do I have to walk with. Not Blondie, please! _

_We haven't sorted that out yet. You'll find out at the rehearsal dinner. _

_And what about-_

_Can we not talk about the wedding? Please? It's bad enough with Mom and Cassie and Rosalie and Emily driving me _crazy _all the time. I'd rather my brothers maintain their masculinity and not talk about it. _

There was a collective agreement through the group. I pushed harder, running up to my cliff in record time. _Later, losers_.

I phased down and laid down, after slipping into my bikini. The rare sun felt nice on my skin, and I decided to make the most of it by untying the halter on my bikini top to get an even tan on my neck and shoulders. After a while on my back, I rolled over and untied the back straps as well. I was content being alone. It was nice, not having to worry about anyone intruding on my alone time. When Embry broke through the trees, though, I was happier. I didn't get up, obviously (despite the fact that he'd seen me naked - _two years_ - before, I was going with his whole 'until marriage' thing and wasn't about to flash him), but I waved him over, and he laid down next to me on his back, staring up at the sky.

"As soon as the doors are put on, the house will be done," he said, looking over at me and smiling.

"And then we can paint and get the furniture in," I said, actually happy - for the first time - that we'd gone through the hell of making a decorating plan for each of the rooms in the house. "I was thinking we could get some of the guys to come and help us out. We could feed them for helping us. We could make it kind of a pack thing. Just wolves."

"Sounds about ten times easier than painting it all by ourselves."

I smiled, then searched for his hand.

"How was your run?"

"Half the pack was running, and they were bugging me about the wedding, so I came here."

He chuckled, lifting my hand to his lips. "Are you holding up?"

I made a face. "No. You?"

"I was about to sneak out at midnight, then Mom started screaming because she was getting a glass of water and found three mice in the sink."

I laughed at that one. "I dove headfirst onto a lamp this morning. I'll bet you can still see a few of the scars on the back of my head."

Embry propped up on one elbow and started running his fingers through over my head. "Yeah, I see them. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I can't wait until we're married and people leave us the hell alone."

He smiled at me, then ran his hand down my bare spine to rest at the small of my back. "You're warm."

"I'm always warm."

"You're warmer today. Why are you tanning?" he said, starting to rub my back.

"The sun feels nice."

He sat up all the way, his backrub becoming a massage as he brought his other hand down. I moaned at the feeling of his warm hands on my already relaxed body, and he chuckled lowly, pressing his fingers into my spine, earning another moan from me. "Is someone enjoying herself?"

I sighed contentedly. "Maybe a little too much. You know, this is probably the closest to any form of affection other than kissing that we've ever gotten?"

"Is that why you're making those lovely little sounds?"

"No, I'm making those sounds because you're hands feel _really_ good right now," I said, craning my neck back to look at him.

Embry had a huge grin on his face. "You like it."

"Yes, I do," I said, laying my head back down. I closed my eyes and gave into the sensation.

His lips suddenly touched my neck, adding to the sensations. He peppered kisses back and forth, slowly moving down my back, following his fingers. I was humming softly by the time he'd made a few trips back up.

"I _really_ like this," I murmured after a while.

"Don't look now, but I think it's about to rain," Embry said, planting a last kiss on my back before sitting back and looking me over, smiling when he saw how relaxed he'd made me. "Are you maybe - just a little - turned on?"

I smirked at him, then said sarcastically, "Wow, you're a genius."

"Hmm… Better commit that to memory. I turn you on." He had a little smirk on his lips, and I couldn't decide if he was trying to be - or if it was my current emotional state making it seem - sexy.

A fat raindrop landed on my thigh, making me sigh. "Tie my top up?"

He nodded, tying my halter straps and then my back straps into neat little bows. "Let's go to the diner and get a bite to eat. I don't think I can stomach being at one of our houses."

"I need to stop by my place for a change of clothes."

"Well, you run home, I'll run home and get my car, then I'll pick you up," he said, standing up and offering a hand.

I took his hand and he lifted me to my feet. We walked hand in hand into the woods, and down through the forest to the halfway mark between our houses. Before we got out of the thick of the woods, he stopped me, pulling me to his chest and planting a soft, chaste kiss against my lips.

"I'll see you in a few."

Later on, at the diner, we sat on the same side of our booth, sneaking kisses and bites of each other's food. We talked to a few people who recognized us - mainly work colleagues outs or parents of old patients' of mine - and with the manager, who - after the incident with the slut of a waitress - had taken to talking to us when we came in. After we left, we went to his house and talked with Cassie for a bit.

Over the next week, we didn't see each other for more than a few minutes at a time. The wedding was coming together quickly, and it was taking up most of our time. The floors were being done in the house, as well as the electrical wiring and water. By the time Friday rolled around, I was looking forward to my patrol shift, to run off steam.

I had patrols with Jared, but I started early, to get a jump start on loosening up. Since I was alone, I let my mind wander. Jared came in at some point, but Kim was fresh on his mind, so he wasn't paying attention to me. I ran through the woods, my mind on anything and everything, focusing on nothing in particular. When I crossed Embry's scent, though, in the woods near our cliff, I suddenly was brought back to the previous weekend. Thoughts of Embry's massage brought back the emotion I was feeling that previous weekend. I thought of what he'd said to me; more specifically, what he said when he realized he was turning me on. And like that, I was immediately turned on again, and Jared's head was filled with my emotions and the fantasies I'd had over the last week.

_Leah, think about something else!_ he begged, cringing as he felt my lust. _That's so wrong… _

I tried to take my mind off of Embry, but I just made myself think of him more. _Sorry, Jared. But it's not like we don't all get an eyeful of Kim! _

_But Kim isn't your sister! _

_You're our brother! _I countered, begging my idiot mind to get out of my fantasy world.

_You're imagination is making me sick, Leah. It's too wrong seeing your brother and sister like that. _Please_, just phase down. I will gladly run both of our patrols just to get that out of my head. _

I pushed forward, trying not to think anymore. Finally, after I crossed another old trail of Embry's and was hit by another wave of lust at the memories of his hands and lips on my back. _Okay, have fun_. I phased down and dressed, then ran back to my house on foot. I didn't say a word to anyone as I went in and went straight to my room, locking myself in and going to bed very early. I had to get him out of my head, and hopefully sleep would do it.

It didn't. The next morning, when I woke up, I realized that all the memories, lust, and fantasies were all as strong as they were because I missed Embry. The damn imprint was acting up again, and I felt sick knowing he wasn't there with me like he had been so often in the last several months. I got up and got dressed, then forewent breakfast, fully determined to see him.

_Cliffs, now._ I thought to him.

_I'm already there._

Ah, so the missing wasn't just on my half. When I broke through the trees, he wasted no time grabbing me into his arms and kissing me firmly. He picked me up so I was at his level, then I was pressed against a tree, having the most intense kiss of my life. My legs rested around hips, holding me up while one of his hands held the small of my back and the other combed through my hair.

"Baby, I've missed you so damn much…" he finally managed, pulling back from the kiss for air. "I phased yesterday to try to catch you, but Jared started screaming at me to phase down, and I got a few glimpses of what'd been going through your head."

"I missed you too much," I managed, panting. "I found your scent and I lost it. He freaked out when he felt my lust."

Embry chuckled breathlessly. "Poor Jared."

"Poor us," I corrected, kissing him again. "I've missed this."

"I am seriously starting to resent Charlie."

I chuckled at that point. "Oh, well. Three weeks, then you're mine."

He pressed his mouth against mine again, then touched his forehead to mine. "I have a surprise for you."

"Ooh, I like surprises," I said in my best girly girl voice. "Seriously, all I want right now is to stay right where we are."

"But I want you to see your surprise," he said, pouting. "We got our first wedding gift today, and I want to open it together."

"Seriously?"

"Yes, seriously. It's from my great-aunt Liza. She lives in New Jersey, and she can't fly out, so she said her gift was going to be good."

I laughed, shocked by it all. "We got a wedding gift?"

Embry rolled his eyes and shook his head. "And this is why I call you baby. Yes, we have a gift, and I really wanna open it!"

"Then let's go!" I said, kissing him one more time before letting go of him. "You know, in order to move, you kind of have to let me down."

He shook his head, grinning widely. "I don't want to."

"Weren't you the one that wanted to go so badly in the first place?"

"Yes, but you wanted to stay like this."

"Okay, well let me down."

He thought for a minute, then gently put me on my feet, then grabbed my hand. "Let's go."

We walked to his house, where Cassie was bouncing around, freaking out about something. "Embry, your grandparents called. They're coming down Thursday."

"Mom, it's fine. What's wrong with them coming down early?"

"They are staying for _two weeks_. They don't know you're a wolf! They'll be at the Thursday family dinner, so that means no wolf stuff."

"Mom," Embry said, grabbing her shoulders to hold her still. "We can manage it. But guess what?"

"What?"

"Aunt Liza sent her wedding gift, and I got it this morning."

Her face lit up immediately, and she smiled widely. "Let's see it!"

Embry rolled his eyes, laughing at her. "You're insane. Let's go see what she sent."

The gift was in his room, sitting on his neatly made bed. Of course, when I _wasn't_ sleeping over his room was neat. It wasn't large or gaudy, but it definitely wasn't small. Embry and I worked together to open the box and dig through the foam packing peanuts. Inside was a nice knife set with a sharpener and storage block. It was nice and would come in handy, especially with Embry's love of nearly completely raw meat.

"Sweet!" Embry said, starting in awe at the gift. Boys and sharp items - together forever.

"Why don't we call your aunt and thank her before you hurt yourself?" I suggested, getting scared when he decided to take everything out - by the blades.

Cassie agreed, obviously frightened by her son as well. "I think I'll go get the air mattresses out of the storage shed."

Embry put his new toys away - thank goodness - and we went to the kitchen to call from their phone. She picked up after two rings, and the first thing she said was, "Embry? Did you open it?"

"Yeah, Aunt Liza. You have no idea how much use those things will be put to," he said, chuckling at his Aunt. "I have someone here that wants to thank you, too. Here."

He pushed the phone into my hands, and I put it to my ear, not sure what to say. "Hello? Is this Embry's fiancée?"

I nodded, then realized she wouldn't see it. "Yes, ma'am, I'm Leah. Thank you so much for your gift."

"Well you're so welcome, dear! My sister has sent me pictures of you over the internet, and I hope I'm not out of line saying you are absolutely stunning."

"Thank you," I said, blushing and making Embry smile. "It's a shame you can't come to the wedding."

"This old lady just isn't fit to travel anymore," she said with a sigh. "I come once every few years, but this year I just couldn't cut it. I'm so thrilled little Embry found someone."

Embry took the phone back from me. "I'm glad, too. Next time you come you have to meet Leah. You'll love her."

His aunt chuckled. "Well I'm sure I will. I have to go for now. I have a doctor's appointment. But I'll call back soon. I love you, sweet boy."

"Love you, too, Aunt Liza."

After they hung up, Embry pulled me into a close embrace. He kissed my ear, then whispered, "Now, how about we go to the beach and have a romantic day all on our own?"

I smiled, whispering back, "No parents, no siblings, so pack."

He kissed down my cheek and jaw, murmuring as he went. "We'll go to our cave, have a picnic, I could give you another massage…"

I shuddered as the sensations he was causing and the memory of his hands on me combined.

"I take it you like that idea?"

"Very much. But how about not? Jared got quite the eyeful, and I'm sure he told someone by now. If someone runs by the cliff, we'll never live it down."

He smiled, then his lips touched mine. "I think I can live with that."

"I'm going to go home and cook something really yummy, then we can meet at the play park."

"Or I could come with you and help."

"Or you could come with me and _watch_."

"Maybe you could teach me how to cook something that's not eggs and bacon," he suggested, kissing the upturned corner of my lips. "You know, I might actually want to cook for you sometime when we're married."

I giggled, then kissed the tip of his nose. "I'll teach you how to boil spaghetti noodles."

He made a face. "We're having Italian?"

"You've never had my Italian, and I want to make it for you. I'll go easy on you. Just spaghetti with chicken and pesto. Okay?"

"Okay, but only because I love you."

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><p><strong>AN: Reviews? Also, you'll be getting more updates soon. Maybe even late tonight. Who knows? **

**~Sidney**


	6. Preparations

**So I'm finally updating. I'm sorry I've been lazy. I own nothing recognizable, and remember to review!**

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><p>"Hold still!" I ordered, brandishing scissors at my very jittery fiancé.<p>

"Sorry! I just don't know how I feel about you cutting my hair," he said, holding up his hands and standing across the kitchen from me.

I put on hand on my hip, and pointed to chair sitting on an old bath towel in the middle of the kitchen. "Sit. I will _not_ cut off your ear, I will _not_ give you a crew cut, and I will _not_ stab you unless you make me mad."

He walked up slowly, then sat down. "I come in peace. Just be careful, _please_."

"I have cut my own hair since I was twelve. Mom and Seth even let me trim theirs every once in a while. Now how long do you want to keep it?"

"To my chin."

"I'm going to start cutting now; do you need a sedative?" I said very slowly.

He made a face, then closed his eyes as I lifted the scissors. After a moment of thought, I put down the scissors and picked up my hairbrush, giving his hair a good brush through before I picked up a little fine-toothed comb that was actually Seth's, but what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him. I carefully went around the bottom of his hair, trimming it to his chin, then I brushed it again and gave him my hand mirror. The entire cut lasted no more than five minutes, yet it took me three days to convince him to let me, and then ten minutes to make him sit down.

"You're alive!" I said, gauging his reaction as he opened one eye, then the other, looking at his reflection.

"Huh, you did good," he said, running his fingers through his hair.

"You're such a girl," I said with a laugh, then motioned for him to get up.

I put the chair back, then picked up the towel and took it to the laundry room to be washed. After gathering up my thing, I went to the bathroom to trim my own hair. Embry sat on the lid of the toilet, watching me trim my hair over the sink, getting rid of all the split ends and rinsing them down the sink. Embry stood when I was done, standing against my back and looking at our reflections as I ran the comb through my hair, catching loose hairs and bits that didn't go into the sink.

"Hmm… You're good at that." He kissed the top of my head, then rested his chin on top of my head. "Cutting hair, I mean."

I smiled at him in the mirror as I rinsed the scissors and Seth's comb. "Thank you. What time do your grandparents get here?"

"Mom texted that they got here around an hour ago, and they were going to rest and clean up before coming over. They should be here about eight."

I pulled my phone out of my pocket to check the time. "We should start cooking."

He nodded in agreement, then we left the tiny bathroom and went back to the kitchen. He set the table and set to work making a green salad - the only thing I'd let him make - while I set to preparing baked chicken, then cheese tortellini in vodka sauce - a favorite in my family. Embry even decided he liked it, after I made him try a bite. Around seven-thirty, Charlie woke up from the nap he'd been taking (even if said chaperone was asleep, they liked us having a chaperone), Mom got home from work, and Seth came in, dripping wet from patrolling.

"Ix-nay on the olf-way," Embry said, trying to be funny.

Seth rolled his eyes and shook his hair at Embry, then went to his room to dry off and to change into actual clothing. A few minutes later, Cassie showed up, Zeke and Daniella in tow. Embry and I served everybody, then sat next to each other to eat as well. Everyone liked my cooking, and I was overly complimented by Embry's grandparents. After dinner, everyone went to the living room for coffee and a dessert of Zeke's homemade apple pie, which he'd made especially for Thursday night dinner.

"You're hair looks good, Embry," Cassie observed, reaching over to run her fingers through it.

He grinned. "Leah did it."

I elbowed him. "Yeah, after having to force him to sit down. He thought I would hurt him."

"I already admitted you were right," he said, rolling his eyes and tugging my hair. "Do you want a contract written in my blood?"

"No, I just like being right."

Seth snorted, then started laughing. "Like we don't know."

Embry looked like he wanted to be laughing with him, but like he wanted to keep any chance he ever had of a peaceful conversation with me again. I gave him a smile, then turned to Zeke and Daniella.

"I hope you two won't mind us not being around Saturday and Sunday," I said, giving a sheepish smile. "We're going to be busy."

"And what are you kids doing this weekend?" Daniella asked, her voice holding no accusation or irritation.

"Painting," Embry said. "Lots and lots of painting. We're getting all of the pack to help us, though. Kind of a party for all of us. We're going to move our stuff in over the next two weeks, so it'll be all ready to move into after the wedding."

"I just hope the guys knew what they were getting into when they agreed," I said, taking a bite of Zeke's _amazing_ homemade crust. "We're going to be working like crazy."

And work we did. Bright and early Saturday morning, the pack met up at Embry's and my new house. We put tarps on every inch of the floor, and made it fairly simple. Each room had only one wall color, and the molding would all be white. We told them to work wherever they wanted, and we made sure to explain that paint was for painting - not for fighting. You'd think a bunch of nearly grown men would get that, but you never know with the pack.

"Where are you working?" Jared asked us warily, catching the attention of several pack members.

"Our room, but we're going to be wondering around to see the progress," Embry asked, looking as confused as I felt. "Why?"

"I'd rather not see a replay of a few weeks ago," he said, picking up a paint roller. "I'm working as far away from you two as possible."

The guys all started laughing, bugging Jared to tell them what he saw. He blushed deeply red, as well, most likely at the images he got.

"They finally acted up?" Paul asked gleefully. "Finally, the _bitch_ did something wrong!"

"Shut up," Brady said condescendingly, then he knocked Paul on the back of his head, and I reminded myself to thank him later.

"Nothing, really, but Leah is _very_ sensitive," Jared mumbled, not meeting anyone's eyes.

Seth eyed Embry with a death glare. "What about?"

"Please don't make me relive it! It was bad enough running with her when she was turned on like that. I really don't want to commit that to memory."

I blushed, then stomped on Jared's foot. "Shut up about it."

Embry, however, was laughing. "Sorry about that. I was just giving her a little mas-"

My hand collided with the side of his head. "If you're going to talk about our alone time with everyone, I'd just assume we don't have anymore."

He gave me a sheepish grin. "Sorry, beautiful. Let's get this show on the road, guys!"

Embry and I went up to our room, Brady and Collin following to work in our bathroom. Collin went ahead in to work, but I caught Brady by the arm.

"Thanks for handling Paul," I said, making Embry laugh.

"It was kind of for Collin," Brady said lowly, so his best friend wouldn't hear.

I raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

He looked around, then lowered his voice further. "You know how he's always had a crush on you? Well, Paul's been being an ass lately and picking on him for it; you know, because you're getting married."

Embry rolled his eyes. "Well, Paul needs someone to knock some sense into him, so thanks."

Brady gave a nod and a smile, then went into the bathroom to get started.

The day went by quickly, and by the end of the day, a _lot_ of painting had been done. In fact, the only painting left was the doors and door frames, window frames, and the molding. After that, we would go through the process of taking out all of the tarps and removing painters' tape from the areas too small to tarp. By Sunday afternoon, the only evidence that there had been painting going on was the smell and the fumes that would leave in good time, especially when we started moving things in the door was open constantly.

Embry and I sat at my kitchen table with our Big Book of Wedding Stuff, marking off our checklist of things to do before the big day. Invitations had been sent months before, the dresses and tuxedoes had been handled, arrangements for the reception and wedding party had been made (with the help of my mother and Rosalie), and the house was on the way. We were happy to mark off painting, and even happier to see we had only three things left on our list. The first, to move our furniture into the new house. The second, to grocery shop, so we wouldn't starve during our two weeks of being hermit. The third, to get married. Embry took the pen out of my hands and cast me a grin, then wrote something at the bottom of the list.

_Live happily ever after_.

I smirked at his cheesiness, then broke down and gave a full-fledged smile, leaning over to kiss his cheek. "You're so cheesy."

"You think my cheesiness is cute," he said, grinning at me as he quoted the words I'd said to him so long ago.

"I think you're cute," I said, sliding off of my chair and moving to sit on his lap. "I love you."

He smiled, wrapping his arms around me. "I love you, more."

"I love you the most!" came a horrible falsetto voice, and our heads snapped to the doorway, where Jacob, Quil, and Seth were standing.

"No, I love you more!" Quil squealed, looking at Jacob - obviously the first of our teasers.

Seth made mock googly eyes. "No, I love _you_ more."

The banter went on for a few minutes, until they realized it wasn't phasing us. They trooped in after that and sat down with us.

"So," Quil said, sounding annoyingly like a teenage girl. "How's it going?"

I raised an eyebrow. "What do you care?"

He shrugged. "You have paint on your ear, Embry."

I turned to look, seeing that my fiancé did - in fact - have a small smudge of white paint on his ear. I raised my hand and scratched at it gently, peeling it off, then finger combed his hair down over his ear. "Not anymore."

"Is this going to be like this forever?" Jacob said, looking between us. "You two just…like that."

"Like what?" Embry asked, looking about as confused as I felt.

"Like…" Jacob struggled for the right word. "_Cute_."

Embry and I both started laughing, the word 'cute' sounding foreign. Embry shrugged, and I looked at Jacob, my eyebrow up again.

"Like… Like a couple. It's kinda weird. I'm so used to Leah kicking anyone's ass who looks at her funny, but then she gets around you and she's like…a girl."

I made an offended face. "Last time I checked, I _was_ a girl."

Jacob made a face. "You know what I mean."

"Why are you so _nice_ and lovey dovey?" Quil asked bluntly.

"Because," I said with a shrug.

"Because _why_," Seth pressed, obviously entertained, even though he knew perfectly well why.

"You two act different with Claire and Nessie. We act different with each other. Simple as that," Embry said, not seeing the humor of the situation that I saw. In fact, he sounded almost angry.

I jumped in. "I'm just older than Claire and Nessie, so our relationship is different."

"So lay off."

_Bry, it's okay. They're just teasing us, _I thought to him. "It isn't that hard to understand. And I'll kick anyone's ass that I want. Don't worry about that."

_I don't like it when they're like that to you, _he thought back. _And I'm tired. And I think those paint fumes are still in my head. _

_Well, I'm not offended, so you don't be offended. Please? _

He cast a glance at me, then rolled his eyes. "Yeah. And what are you even doing here? We were working on wedding stuff."

Jacob and Quil looked at each other and shrugged, then Seth added, "I live here."

I stood up from Embry's lap and closed the book. "Are you hungry, Bry?"

"Yeah, but I promised my grandparents I'd have dinner with them and Mom," he said with a guilty look.

"It's okay," I said, going to the fridge and looking through it. "I have some leftovers from the other night."

"I probably need to get going," he said, checking his cell phone and standing as well. "See you tomorrow?"

I nodded, then gave the intruders a look. "Leave now."

They were all up and out in record time, obviously not wanted to see Embry and I say goodbye. Thanks to Jared, everyone had seen or heard some variation of my memory from that weekend, and no one wanted a repeat. I didn't want to give anyone else a show, so they knew to move or be moved.

"I'll see you tomorrow," I said, standing on tiptoe and wrapping my arms around my fiancé's neck. "I love you."

"I love you, too," he said, hugging me back and lowering his lips to mine. "Two weeks."

I smiled, then kissed him again. "Scary."

He nodded, then lifted me up and sat me on the counter. "Very. Are you nervous?"

"Yes," I said guiltily, focusing on a spot just under his left ear. "Are you?"

He put his fingers under my chin, lifting my face to look him in the eye. "Extremely. I think we're supposed to be. They wouldn't call it the 'Big Day' if it wasn't supposed to be scary."

I smiled again, then leaned forward and kissed him. "Good. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Love you."

"Love you."

He kissed me one last time, then left. I hopped off the counter and went to heat up my leftovers. As I absentmindedly watched the turntable in the microwave, I thought about Embry, and the life we would soon share. It was a _terrifying_ thought, but I was also excited. He would be my husband soon, and we would have eternity together.

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><p><strong>AN: Reviews, please! **

**~Sidney**


	7. Nerves

**New update! Yayyy! I own nothing recognizable, and please review!**

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><p>Over the course of the week, Embry and I (with the help of some of the guys, when they could) moved our furniture into the house. A lot of it was from antique stores, thrift stores, or Goodwill. It was less expensive that way, and if it was strong enough to hold up for as long as it had already, it was good furniture. There was a few new pieces, like our bed and our living room set, but most everything else was old. With all of the gifts we were suddenly being sent, and the Christmas gifts we'd accumulated, we were set.<p>

The next Saturday was spent moving our personal things in and adding personal touches. Seth's painting went in the entryway of the house, to show it off, and we hung several photographs throughout the house. We stocked the bathrooms up with the essentials, the kitchen with plenty of food and drink, and - finally - moved the majority of our clothing into our room. We stood on opposite sides of our newly made bed, going through our bags to fold, hang, and put away our clothes.

"Why did you put your clothes in big trash bags?" I asked Embry, as he cut into the second of his bags.

"Because I knew that folding them wouldn't do any good, because they'd just get messed up again when I unpacked," he said, grabbing huge wads of clothes. "This way, they're sorted, and I can fold them and put them away."

"Method to the madness," I said, shrugging. I opened my second small suitcase up, where sat my under things. I quickly shut it and went to the large bureau. I kept my back to him as I quickly organized them into the top drawer, then shut it.

"You missed one," said a voice from behind me, making me jump about a mile into the air, and making Embry laugh. "We're going to be married in a week, and you're embarrassed about me seeing your underwear?"

I glared at him, pushing past him to go back to folding my clothes. "Shut up."

"Leah, seriously," he said, continuing to laugh at me as he went back to work on his folding.

"What?"

"I'm sorry. I just don't get what you're so shy about," he said, putting a dress shirt on a hanger. "Hey, can you grab some more hangers from the closet?"

I nodded, going into the closet for a moment to take a handful of hangers, then returned, sitting on the edge of the bed near his clothes. "It's not a 'shy' thing. It's a 'me' thing. I just would rather you not see my underwear."

He looked at me like I was crazy. "Um, Lee, I've seen you naked."

"A long time ago," I reminded him. "And it's not that. I'm not used to sharing my life with someone who isn't related to me. It's still a weird concept for me to grasp."

"_That_ I get. But what does that have to do with underwear? I've seen you in your underwear."

"You've seen me in a _bikini_."

"Which covers less than underwear."

"That's not the point!" I snapped, irritated at him trying to understand. "Let me see your boxers."

He looked at me, an eyebrow raised. "What?"

I looked expectantly to him. "Let me see your boxers. I'm going to put them away."

"Why? I can do it."

"Well, I'm almost done unpacking, but you still have a lot to do."

"But I can do it."

"Why won't you let me see your underwear?"

"Because that's weird, you just wanting to see my underwear. I'm not even wearing it, so what's the point?"

"Someone's full of himself," I said, chuckling. "Well, I want to put it up for you. There's no reason for you not to. We _are_ going to be married soon."

Embry opened and closed his mouth a few times, then huffed. "It's weird!"

I smiled, glad he finally saw it. "Exactly."

He looked at me for a moment, then swore under his breath. _You're annoying_.

We worked in semi-silence for a while, finally finishing up. When all of my clothes were put away, I went back through, grabbing a few things to wear over the last week of my maidenhood. It was still surreal that in a single week, I'd be married, to Embry of all people. While I loved him deeply, I was still nervous to the point of no return. My heart would beat erratically at the mention of the wedding, and my palms would grow sweaty at the thought.

Things were all falling into place for Embry and I. Our house was officially finished, the wedding was all planned, and the two weeks of total seclusion were secured. We wouldn't phase, we wouldn't go into town, and we would stay on our mountainside. Things were all set, yet I couldn't shake my nerves. I knew that no matter what, Embry and I were getting married, but I almost felt like it was too good to be true.

"What are you thinking so hard about, beautiful?" Embry murmured, wrapping me in his arms and peering down at my face with a worried expression.

I rested my head on his collarbone, wrapping my arms around him. "Us."

He kissed the top of my head, then rested his on top of it. "Good things, I hope."

"Too good to be true."

He chuckled lowly, then squeezed me. "I think so, too. But we're good. We're good together, and in one week we're going to be married."

I smiled at his neck. "Yeah, we are."

The thing about getting married, is that everyone wants to go through with crazy traditions that are really just dumb and better off ignored. Like bachelor and bachelorette parties. The pack kidnapped Embry late that afternoon, hell-bent on giving him a bachelor party to remember. I grabbed Sam before he could slip out and told him - under no uncertain terms - if scantily clad women or copious amounts of alcohol were involved, I'd have certain parts of his body removed and sent to Emily by Fed-X. He seemed to take my threats to heart, because he swore that they were only going to be at his house, and Via would be present - as Emily was actually going out with me for my bachelorette party - so they couldn't drink, either.

When I finally made myself leave the privacy of my soon-to-be home, I was texted by Rosalie with an order to meet her at the Cullens' house. When I finally got there, Emily, Rachel, and Kim were there, waiting for me with Bella, Alice, and Rosalie. It was odd, seeing them all together, and it was even weirder when they announced that we would be staying there. I didn't get what was so great about a night in. I was fine with Embry having a night in, but I'd hoped for something a little more interesting.

Until the mysterious cloaked and masked man came in. I could tell he was a vampire by the way he smelled, but he was wearing something that kept me from recognizing his scent. I watched in horror as the man started dancing, then began to untie his cloak.

"Rosalie, I _swear_-" I started.

Then he ripped off the cloak, revealing a Napoleon Dynamite outfit, complete with a 'Vote for Pedro' t-shirt and a red afro. Everyone in the room burst into laughter as a song came on from a mysterious place. I realized it was none other than the oversized toddler, and I grew hot in the face as I sat there, stewing in my own mortification. When the song ended, Emmett took a bow, then looked to Rosalie.

"Pay up, Rosie," he said, holding out his hand.

She rolled her eyes, then handed him the keys to her convertible. "Don't hurt my baby, baby."

He cast me a glance, then left the room, snickering.

"Rosalie, I was about to kill you," I said, glaring at her. "I'm still thinking about it."

"We knew you'd get angry if we hired an actual stripper, so we put our heads together and figured something else out," she said, grinning at me.

"'We' being?"

"Me and Alice and Bella. It was Bella's idea, actually."

I turned my glare to my stepsister. "And does Charlie know you have a dark side now?"

She shrugged, and I knew if she was a human, she'd be blushing. "He knows what he wants to know."

I dropped my face into my hands. "That was the stupidest thing I've ever seen…"

"That was the point, wasn't it?" Emily said, reaching over to pat my back. "And it was more fun than what the guys are doing. They're having a roast on Embry."

"I hope they tape that…" I thought aloud, making her chuckle.

Later on, I was presented with a few gifts. I won't go into detail, but the majority of it was lingerie that will never _ever_ see the light of day. It was mortifying to open them and have to show them to the room. It was - overall - a terrible night. I didn't have fun, and all I wanted was to see Embry. When I was finally aloud to go home, I ran.

Back home, in my room, I opened my closet to look at the dress bag that contained my wedding dress. I carefully removed it from the bag, then put it on, admiring my reflection. Mom came to my door, knocking softly. She smiled when she saw what I was doing, then came in.

"I tried on my dress a dozen times before I married your father," she said softly, brushing my hair back from my face. "He'd be so proud of you."

I nodded, smiling at my reflection. "I know he is. Were you nervous?"

She nodded. "Extremely. But it's all worthwhile. The feeling you get after he says 'I do' will make it all worthwhile."

I sighed, then she helped me out of the dress. After it was carefully hung up, we said our goodnights, and I put on my pajamas. I curled up in my bed, thinking about the dress, the house, and the fact that I'd soon be Mrs. Embry Call.

Sunday was spent with Embry. We had the last day alone we'd have until we were actually married, and we made the most of it. We went to all of our favorite haunts. We started the day with breakfast at our favorite diner, then we went to the cliff. We sat at the top until lunch, when we went to the cave to have our picnic and a few stolen kisses. Okay, a lot of stolen kisses. Despite his best efforts, Embry still hadn't been allowed to give me a massage like the one he'd given me that fateful weekend, and finally just made do with slipping his hands under the back of my shirt and running them over the skin of my lower back.

"I'm not allowed to touch you until we're married, am I?" Embry murmured against my lips, groaning as I swatted his hands away. Again.

"I'm not giving the guys another show," I replied, lacing my fingers through his. "Not until they can't say anything about it."

He trailed his lips down my jaw and neck, gently pushing me to lay on my back while he continued to trail kisses down my collarbone and along the neckline of my shirt. "They can always say things about us. You're the one that says not to worry about it."

I wound my fingers into his hair and tugged gently, bringing his lips up to mine. "Whatever, baby. Shush."

"I'm no baby," he growled lowly. "Say it."

"Say what?" I gasped, surprised when he grabbed my wrists and held them above my head.

"Say I'm not a baby."

"You're not a baby!" I managed, my breath not finding me.

He then kissed me deeply, proving he definitely wasn't a baby.

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><p><strong>AN: Reviews, please? Also, check out my blog and vote on my profile. **

**~Sidney**


	8. Rehearsals and Readying

**Okay, this is the second to last chapter. I promise it's not the end of the series, but it may be a little bit before I post more, because I'm still writing it all. I own nothing. Please review, and check out my blog, maybe.**

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><p>The wedding was days away. Every night, before bed, I'd try on my dress, admiring myself in the mirror. I would spend my free time working on my personal vows, and I rehearsed them to myself in the mirror every chance I got. Things were crazy, and I was growing wild with worry and panic. We received gifts everyday, and it seemed like everything was going too fast.<p>

Friday came unexpectedly quickly. Monday was a rush of showing a new nurse's assistant my routine, Tuesday was a day of trial and error of testing my fill-in, Wednesday was far too busy to think about anything, Thursday and the Thursday night dinner was a blur, and when Friday came, I was a mixed bag of emotions.

"Leah, we have a meeting in the staff lounge at two," Jayne said, as I headed for the door to go to lunch with Emily, as Embry was working through lunch.

"Okay," I said, offering a smile, even though I was confused. "I'll see you later."

Lunch with Emily was nice. She cooked for the both of us, and it was nice to have a girls' afternoon. My goddaughter was a sight to see. At four months, Via was simply adorable. She was a beautiful baby, and she had started to babble and sit up on her own. She sat in the corner of the couch, beside Emily, and watched us with her big brown eyes. After we finished, I had a little while before I had to go, so I held Via, rocking her while I talked to Emily.

"Are you excited?" she asked, her own excitement showing.

I nodded, smiling widely. "Among other things."

"Why are you working today? Don't you want to get all primped up for tonight?"

"Tonight is going to be a _rehearsal_. Tomorrow, I'm sleeping in, then you and Rosalie are going to help me get ready. I'm not doing the ninety dollar manicure or hairstyle."

She just shook her head. "I don't know why you would. So have you and Embry had anymore…_interesting _afternoons?"

My face flushed immediately. "Sam told you?"

"And Paul, and Jarred, _and_ Brady and Collin."

"Is nothing private?"

She gave me a significant look. "What do you think? The boys are little gossip machines."

I sighed, then looked at Via. "Your uncles are going to become your aunts soon, kiddo."

She blew raspberries at me, making Emily and I both laugh.

"And that's the reason Embry and I are having a totally secluded and private honeymoon. No images to share, no teasing, and no seeing me naked more than is necessary. There's still a few members that have only seen me clothed, and I'd like to keep it like that."

Emily chuckled, shaking her head. "I can't imagine what that must be like."

"Oh, we've all seen you naked, too," I assured her, smiling when she blushed.

"Seriously? I'm going to kill Sam," she muttered.

Soon after that, I had to go. Back at work, the halls were mysteriously devoid of the regular nurses. Instead, a few backup nurses and NAs were doing the afternoon work of feeding and giving medicine. They directed me to the staff lounge, congratulating me as I passed. I found it odd for them to choose that moment, but I brushed it off, thinking that maybe it was just in case they didn't see me again before the day was over.

"Surprise!"

My jaw dropped as I entered the staff lounge, where my closest colleagues waited with streamers, balloons, a banner that said 'Congratulations, Leah!', and a small cake. "You guys!"

The effort my work friends had put into an otherwise small party was heartwarming. It was a nice distraction for my nerves, and it was good to spend time with my colleagues before going completely AWOL for two weeks. It was also a relief to just hang out. I only received one gift from the group, and it was a framed photograph of Thomas and I. It brought tears to my eyes, and I was truly grateful for it.

I took off early, after saying goodbye to all of my coworkers and patients, and I went to my house to get ready for the rehearsal and dinner. I took my time in the shower, letting the steam overtake my senses. Afterwards, I blow dried my hair so it fell straight, put on soft shorts and a tank top, and then went to my room to finish getting ready. I'd just closed and locked my door when there was a tap on my window, and I saw my fiancé, shirtless and panting from his run to my house.

"Embry, what are you doing here?" I hissed, opening my window to let him in.

He pulled me into his arms, crushing me to his chest as his lips sought out mine. After he had successfully made me dizzy, he pulled back. "I missed you. I have a feeling we won't get any alone time tonight, so I wanted to see you before the rehearsal."

I smiled, then tugged him to sit on my bed. "Well, tomorrow we'll be married and we'll have all the alone time in the world."

"I know," he said, his hands going to my face. "But I feel like life's slowing down and tomorrow will never _ever_ come."

I leaned into his touch, sighing. "I know. I love you."

Embry touched his lips to mine. "I love you, too."

My hands found their way to his bare chest, then around his middle, holding him to me. His slid down my neck and to my shoulders, where he traced little patterns, which were soon repeated by his lips. I kissed his chest, making him moan softly, his arms suddenly squeezing me tightly.

"Babe…" he breathed, his lips near mine again. "Don't…"

I pouted, kissing his lips defiantly. "Why not?"

He growled, ducking his head down to my shoulder and nipping at the base of my neck. "I have very little self control right now."

"Soon, we'll never have to hold back again," I breathed, whimpering when he nipped at my neck again.

"Let's make it till then," he said, forcing himself to deep breathe. "I think we should stop while we're -"

I smothered his words with my lips, my hands clasping his cheeks.

"- ahead," he managed to gasp, grasping my wrists in his large hands. "Baby, we have to behave. Maybe I should go and we should finish getting ready for the rehearsal."

"Or you could stay and we could be late for the rehearsal," I joked, knowing he was right. Especially when he called me 'baby'. It meant I was being immature, and it sobered me up to be addressed as such.

Embry released my wrists, then laced his fingers through mine. "You're stubborn."

I smiled playfully. "Would I be Leah if I wasn't?"

"I'd call missing persons if you weren't," he said, smiling back at me. "But really, Lee, I should leave."

I nodded in reluctant agreement. "I want tonight to be over with."

He slid his fingers from mine and took my face in his hands, kissing me tenderly. "It'll all be fine. I'll see you in a bit."

"See you."

He stood from my bed and went to my window to climb out. He'd closed my window almost completely when I heard him call softly, "I love you."

"I love you, too," I whispered, smiling as he ran into the woods.

The rehearsal was…wild.

While our wedding party was small, we had to carefully organize everyone. Jacob and Quil would be acting as best men. Rosalie wanted to be the pianist for our wedding, so choosing between she and Emily was solved, therefore Emily would be my Matron of Honor. The flower girl was more difficult to decide on. While Nessie was my niece, and Embry and I both loved her, Claire was also old enough to be in the wedding, and I'd known her before Nessie and loved her just as much. In the end, we decided to allow them both into the wedding party. Nessie - being far more dexterous - would carry the rings for us, while little Claire would toss the flower petals.

The hard part was keeping the little girls from darting up and down the aisle and getting distracted by their counterparts on the groom's side. Finally, we decided that Claire would walk down with Quil - after Jake and Emily - since she would squeal and jump if she saw him ahead of her. Nessie would follow behind them, because she was patient, and understood that she needed to behave so as to not draw attention from the humans that didn't know our secrets.

After we successfully organized everyone, we were able to run through the steps a few times. Afterwards, we had the rehearsal dinner with the out of town guests and our friends and family. Embry's family was thoroughly entertained by my family and by all of our friends. They kept whispering about the 'strange large men' and the 'odd little girls' who followed the strange large men.

Embry and I were poked, prodded, photographed, and interrogated about anything and everything. _Is Embry going to finish college? Is Leah going to go to college? Who is going to work? Are you going to have kids? Are you pregnant? Do you want to get pregnant? Are you in an arranged marriage? _

The questions grew more and more ridiculous, but we just had to grin and bear it. We had to keep up the façade. _Yes. Yes. Both of us. We hope so. No. In the future. What the hell? _

I almost wanted to say 'yes' to the last question, so see if they'd buzz off, but Embry knew what I was thinking and stopped me. He apologized through the mind link several times, and he dealt with his family for the most part. His cousins got along with Nessie and Claire, and the older ones with Brady and Collin. It was easy to placate everyone in the end, and by the end of the night, I was just ready to get married.

Or so I thought.

I laid in my bed for an hour before I decided I couldn't sleep. I hadn't counted on actually getting sleep the night before my wedding, but I'd hoped it would be in the sense that I dreamt of my fiancé and woke up exhausted yet excited. Instead, I wasn't thinking about my fiancé at all. I was thinking about someone I thought of everyday of my life, but someone I also hadn't seen in over two years. My lip quivered as I thought of my father, who would not be there to walk me down the aisle on my wedding day.

I finally pressed my face into my pillow and succumbed to the tears. His ghost didn't appear to me that night. I didn't dream of him telling me everything would be alright, that he was there in spirit. I knew that he was one of the few people that would have accepted death and not tried to remain on earth as a spirit. He would have moved on to a better place, where heart attacks and werewolves and sadness couldn't hurt him. His memory would always live on with me, but until I died, I wouldn't see him again, at least not in his earthly form.

"Leah?" came a soft voice from my door. "Lee…"

Seth crossed the room and sat on my bed, resting his hand on my cheek.

"I really miss him right now," I whispered, wiping my tears with the back of my hand. "I'm sorry."

He leaned over me and hugged me, letting me cry to his shoulder. "It's okay, Lee. I figured it would be hard for you."

I sat up, leaning into my younger brother's arms and sobbing. "I miss him so much, Sethy."

"I know," he whispered, his voice strained, like he wanted to cry as well. "I miss him, too. I hate it for you."

I sobbed harder, not really caring about the racket I was making. It was my wedding, dammit, and I was going to miss my daddy. "It's all my fault!"

Seth's arms tightened around me. "It was an accident. You didn't do anything. He was weak."

"I'm getting married tomorrow and my daddy can't give me away," I whimpered, coughing as fresh sobs made their way up. "I can't do this. I just want everything to go back to normal. I wish the last three years never happened."

"You don't mean that. You just want him to be here, too. You love Embry, remember?"

I realized he was right. I loved Embry with my whole heart, and while I missed my father, I knew I couldn't have him back. "I'd trade."

"No you wouldn't," he whispered, rubbing my back.

I sobbed even harder as I realized he was right again. I couldn't reverse time, and I wouldn't if I could. I couldn't have one without the other, and my father would have wanted me to go through with the imprint. "I know. I just miss him. A lot. And there's nothing I can do about it."

Seth held me for a long time that night. I probably dehydrated myself with the number of tears I cried. It wasn't going to be easy, walking down the aisle on the arm of someone who wasn't my father. I knew, though, that I would be happy. I would miss my father, but seeing Embry's smile and knowing he was mine for eternity would remind me that my father's death was not in vain.

Now, to make it to that moment…

I don't remember when I fell asleep, but sometime in the middle of the night Seth left. Then I woke up. My first thoughts?

_It's the big day. _

_Finally. _

I looked over at my clock at ten, then slowly got out of my bed, drawn to the smell of the feast of a breakfast my mother had made. I stretched and yawned and then followed the aromas permeating the house. Mom's smile was enormous as I entered the kitchen, and she pulled me into a hug.

"Good morning, sweetheart," she said, kissing me before holding me at arms length. "Our bride is finally awake. Let's get you fed. You're going to need your energy today."

Seth was already at the table, taking a long drink of coffee. After his mug was drained, he set it down, then smiled at me. "Big day, Lee? You look nervous."

I stuck my tongue out at him, then grabbed a plate to fill with food. My appetite was surprisingly large, and I ended up getting seconds, and then a third slice of toast. I probably drank half the pot of coffee, and then water when I realized coffee would probably dehydrate me.

"Thirsty?" Charlie asked, quirking an eyebrow when he came in and I was finished a huge glass of water, only to refill it and start over again.

I nodded, the glass at my lips as I tilted my head back to chug it in record time. Mom took the glass as I went in for a third.

"Leah, you're going to make yourself sick. What time are the girls coming over?" she asked, setting down the glass and picking up a clean dish towel to dry my mouth, as if I were four.

"Noon. I don't understand why they think it'll take that long to get ready."

Mom just smiled. "You'll know soon enough. Why don't you go back to bed for a little while? I'll wake you up when they get here. Seth and Charlie are leaving in a bit, so it'll be just us girls."

I nodded in agreement, then went to my room. I laid down in my bed and stared at the ceiling. I sighed, then rolled over and pressed my face into my pillow, letting out a groan. I finally resigned to looking through my picture box. There had been some added since Embry and I had gotten together, and I made a game of putting them in order of when they were taken. Before I knew it, Mom was knocking on my door, and I could hear Emily and Rosalie bustling around.

After I spent nearly an hour in the shower, scrubbing, shaving, exfoliating, plucking, and moisturizing every inch of my skin, I was made to sit at my vanity in only my robe for the torture to begin. My mother took pictures the entire time, embarrassing me greatly. She thought it would be good to get the process on film, like her mother did, and was thoroughly amused by my irritation. Emily assisted Rosalie with my hair. Using a tiny curling iron, Rose made tight ringlets all over my head, which made me look like a display doll. I understood the process, though, when she started brushing it all out, then sprayed it with hairspray. All of that, only to be gone through and clipped randomly up.

Emily worked on my makeup next. Base, eye shadow, blush, eyeliner, and lipstick were applied very lightly, then a light coat of mascara was put on my eyelashes. I didn't like makeup very much, and intended on washing it off as soon as the 'I do's were said. Not that anyone would _let_ me… When she was done, it looked nice, but I still didn't like the feeling of it just sitting there on my skin. For years I had taken advantage of my natural beauty, and now - the biggest event of my life - it was being painted over. Poetic justice, I suppose. Take the vanity from the vain, and I would be the first to admit I could be _very_ vain.

When I was done with the war paint and hair product, I was made to relax for a little while, while Mother, Emily, and Rosalie got dressed. Emily and Rosalie wore matching dresses of emerald green. The glittery material flowed to hit mid-knee, and was held up by thick straps. They were simple and bright, and absolutely perfect for a spring wedding. Mother's mother-of-the-bride outfit was a pretty pink skirt that went to her knees with a blazer, and she was the first to be finished dressing. After they were all completely ready - which took about a fourth of the time it took for my hair and makeup to be done -, it was time for my dress.

With the help of everyone, so as to not get makeup and hair product everywhere, I carefully slipped into the dress I'd tried on every night for a week. I stood in front of my mirror and stared at my reflection, hypnotized.

My hair was held up in a loose yet elegant bun by antique pearl combs, and my face was framed by a few wispy tendrils of hair that were pulled out of the bun. My makeup was not nearly as bad as I'd imagined, and the only truly noticeable addition to my coloring was the mauve lip stain. The most astounding thing I found in my reflection was the dress. I'd seen and worn it several times, but in the light of day, and with the knowledge that I would soon be making an appearance wearing it, it was entrancing.

The strapless gown was pearl white and fitted from my bust to my hips, where it then grew into a full skirt with a long train. Pearls were dotted widely apart over the expanse of the skirt and train, and subtly traced and accentuated the V where the bodice grew into the skirt. The bodice was bare, and the sweetheart neckline was lined with three rows of pearls. The dress in itself was stunning.

Rosalie all but forced a garter up my leg, breaking my hypnotic focus and insisting we had to follow at least this tradition, since I wasn't wearing a veil. "Something borrowed!"

"Well what about the other stuff? Old, new, blue?" I asked, irate.

"Combs are old, shoes are new, garter's borrowed _and_ blue," Emily said, studying my hair. "I think we're set."

Rosalie checked as well, then nodded in agreement. "Let's go on, Emily. I need to start playing, and I have bad feeling about Via being left alone with all of those men."

Emily snickered, shaking her head. "Poor Sam probably can't figure out the snaps on her dress."

They left Mother and I alone. Mom looked me over, then beamed. "You ready?"

"Yeah," I said, my smile mirroring hers. "How do I look?"

"Stunning," she said. She held out a hand to me. "Now let's get you hitched." She had a glimmer of humor in her eyes as she repeated my words to her on her second wedding day back to me.

I placed my hand in hers. "Let's go."

I had never felt so nervous in my life.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Review, please?**

**~Sidney**


	9. The Wedding

**This is the last chapter! The wedding! All together now, AWWW! Okay, it's not the end of the series, I swear. In fact, I've already got the basis of the next story, and the first chapter should be up by the end of the week. I don't know how I feel about this chapter, because I've written one wedding before, and I didn't know how to write this without totally mimicking the other one. I own nothing, and please review! **

"Are you okay?" Seth asked the second he saw me.

Mom and I were sitting in a small room in the only church on the reservation. I knew I had to be green, because I certainly felt ready to throw up the feast I'd had for breakfast. The knowledge that Embry was about thirty feet away from me paired with the knowledge that we were about to be sealed for eternity was making me a huge bundle of nerves. At the moment my brother walked in, I was popping my fingers for the fiftieth time.

"She'll be fine," Mom said, standing up and taking my hands. "Leah, calm down, please."

I clenched and unclenched my fists. "Sorry."

Seth stepped forward and put a hand on my bare shoulder. "Embry's been worse than you all morning. I think you two are just making it worse on each other panicking so much."

I nodded, stepping back from my family. "Okay. I'm okay."

A knock came from the door, and I turned to see Charlie standing there nervously. "Everyone okay in here?"

"Yeah," I said, though the squeakiness of my voice didn't exactly convince anyone. "I'm fine."

"Well, I just wanted to say good luck, and I'm happy for you," he said, turning red at the slightest hint of emotion.

I gave a small smile and a nod, then he held out a hand for Mom. "Go on, Mom. Seth and I will be out in just a few."

She gave me a gentle hug and a kiss on the cheek, then smiled brightly at me. "I love you, sweetheart."

I gave another nod, not trusting myself not to cry.

And then it was Seth and I.

"You ready to get married?" he asked, then tried to attempt humor. "We can always run away and start a brother-sister circus act."

I gave him a gentle shove. "I'm ready. I've been ready."

He chuckled, then yet another knock came from the door.

"Showtime," Emily said, giving a huge smile. "You know what to do, Lenny."

Moments later, I was standing outside of the doors, my arm looped through Seth's. I was shaking so hard Seth was visibly shaking. We stood for a moment, waiting for our cue.

"Lee," Seth said out of the corner of his mouth. "You're going to be fine."

"I know," I whispered back. "I'm just terrified."

"You're gonna be great. You look beautiful, sis," he said, smiling over at me. The glint in his eyes made me realize how much he looked like my father, and that alone made me stop shaking.

"Thank you, Sethy," I replied, a small smile forming on my lips.

The doors to the chapel opened. When I saw Embry, down at the front of the room, all of my nerves vanished. His smile made every negative feeling and thought in my mind evaporate. When his eyes met mine, I had never felt so beautiful in my entire life.

I was at the alter before I realized it, my hypnotic state making me unaware of time and movement. After the formalities of Seth giving me away were made, and the basic vows said, we recited our self-written vows.

"Embry," I said, trying to keep my voice strong and clear. "You are my only love, and you are my truest. You were brave enough to break down the walls that I'd built so carefully around myself, and you were there for me in ways that no one else could possibly understand. We began our relationship as enemies, but now we seal it as lovers. You are the exception to all of my rules, and I fall more in love with you each and every day. I am honored to call you my friend, and no words can be used to describe the joy I feel at the thought of calling you my husband. I will stand by you in everything you do, and my arms will always be open. I love you, and I always will." My voice shook slightly, but in the end, I got my point across.

Embry's eyes never left mine through my speech, and held them still during his. "Leah, words do not describe the love I feel for you every day of my life. You understand me in a way that no one has ever even attempted, and you make me happy like no one else does. Every day that I see your beautiful face is a blessing, and every kiss we share feels like the first. You were once the girl I admired from afar. Today, you stand in front of me as the woman I am deeply in love with, and I stand in front of you as the boy that had a crush on you. You have made me an honest man, and you fill the place in my heart that I didn't even realize was empty. You are my friend, my soul mate, and my heart. I love you."

I felt tears in my eyes at his words. While he was a deep man, he must have spent many days and nights writing his personal vows. My lip quivered under his gaze, and his eyes glistened with wetness.

Renesmee handed us our rings before flitting back to her place, looking very proud of herself. The priest directed the exchange of our golden rings, mine with a solitary heart cut diamond.

"Do you, Embry Morgan Call, take this woman to be your wife?" the priest recited, looking to Embry.

"I do," Embry said, his eyes trained on mine as his loving smile grew.

The priest looked to me. "Do you, Leah Elaina Clearwater, take this man to be your husband?"

My own smile took over my face. "I do."

"I now pronounce you husband and wife," the priest said, looking to each of us. "You may kiss the bride."

Embry's hands were at the nape of my neck in record time, pulling me into our passionate kiss. My hands rested on his waist and I lifted up on my tiptoes to reach his height. The room applauded and cheered for us as our first kiss as husband and wife ended, and Embry pulled me into his arms for a warm embrace. We walked hand in hand out of the chapel under the bird seed Rosalie passed out. We walked out though the woods to our reception area on the beach, complete with a temporary dance floor, tents, a stage, and tables filled with refreshments.

When everyone has accumulated, someone started the music, and we shared our first dance as man and wife. It was a timeless classic, and I loved it. It also gave Embry and I a moment to talk, at least in our minds.

_You look incredible_, he thought to me, smiling widely down at me.

_Your hair looks good. Wonder who did it…_ I joked, making him roll his eyes.

_You're so full of yourself. _

_Yes, I am, and I'm quite proud of it. _

_I love you. _

I smiled up at him. _I love you, too. _

The last line of the song rang out. A faster, more exciting song came on as everyone else made their way onto the dance floor. Embry and I enjoyed dancing with one another, and everyone else. After a little while of that, the tables were ready for everyone to sit down to the food. People were having fun, and soon, they were demanding speeches.

As the atmosphere in the reception grew more excited, so did the people. When the speeches began, Jacob and Quil were the first to volunteer. They exchanged grins, and that should have been the first clue that this was going to be memorable.

"First of all," said Jacob, "congratulations, you two. Embry, you're our best friend and one of the nicest guys we know. Leah, you're like a sister to us all; except Embry, because that would be weird."

After the laughter, Quil picked up the obviously rehearsed speech. "But we're the best men, and our job is to leave the groom sleeping on the couch, not to leave the room crying. We're gonna like that to Emily."

There was more laughter before Jacob picked up. "So we're going to share a few little stories about Embry here. Leah, let's see it you know what you're really getting into."

"Embry has always been a ladies' man. In face, in the first grade, he decided that the intern was his girlfriend, and he would follow her around everywhere. This wouldn't have been so bad if she wasn't married and pregnant at the time."

Everyone had a good laugh at that, and then Jake started up again. "Embry is also multitalented. When we were in fourth grade, we were the biggest Power Ranger fans in Washington, and we could often be found mimicking them. Either Embry didn't get that it was just a game, or he was one confident son of a bitch, because he decided he was going to flip off the monkey bars. The only problem was the he had an attack of vertigo before he got his balance, and his career as a Power Ranger was ended with a field trip to the ER."

"This last story is one that no one but us knows. We swore never to tell anyone until the situation demanded it, and what better time than your wedding?" Quil said, and Embry tensed up and bit his lip, obviously knowing what was coming. "When we were fifteen, we had our first experience with alcohol."

"We bought it off some juniors, and camped out in my garage. At first, it was funny. We didn't see the big deal. Then Quil decided he would sing."

"After a while, Jacob and Embry joined me. By some twisted, drunken idea, we all ended up singing the national anthem. Of Canada."

The entirety of the room was laughing. I was having difficulty breathing, and Embry was red in the face.

"By the end of the night," Jacob said loudly, to recapture everyone's attention, "we were emotional, and we has already decided it was our destiny to be Canadian. Finally, Embry stood up and tearfully declared that he would one day be the king of all of Canada, and that Quil and I could be the queens, because - and I quote - 'Who needs a wife when you have Canada?'"

I had tears in my eyes, as many did, from laughter.

Embry looked a bit surprised. _I don't remember that part…_

"And _that_," Quil all but shouted, "was what Jacob and I swore to tell at your wedding, after you passed out sobbing. Here's to Embry and Leah, and to Canada's failed monarchy. Good luck, bro, and Leah?"

I looked up, blinking back my tears of laughter. "Yeah?"

"Give him hell!" Jacob and Quil shouted together, then downed the contents of their glasses.

Embry was blushing deeply, but laughing. He caught my eye, then started laughing harder. I kissed his cheek, then Emily stood to give the next speech, waiting for the noise to die down.

"After that," she said, with a roll of her eyes, "I can't really say a lot and get a good reaction. Well, Leah's my cousin and my best friend, and our husbands are half-brothers, which makes us sisters-in-law. I have always considered Leah a sister, though, so there won't really be a change there. I have to say, Embry is the only person I've ever seen have any form of control over Leah, and even that's not enough to keep her from wailing on any of the guys present. She does whatever she wants, and Embry seems to like it that way. Sadly, for Embry and the guys, Leah always thinks the situation demands it. Her love of beating on fully grown men aside, she's the most loyal person you'll ever meet, even if her loyalty can be mistaken for her stubbornness. At the end of the day, though, you can always count on her. Lenny, I love you, and congratulations."

The crowd was rather quiet through Emily's speech, and 'aw'ed at the appropriate moments during. It was sweet, but she was right - after Jacob and Quil, there wasn't really room for a good reaction.

After everyone settled, a few more people said words. It was all sweet and funny, and it was really fun - for once - to be the center of attention. When it came time to cut the cake, Embry and I had to pose for about a million pictures, but when the cake was cut, we spared no time in the traditional smashing into one another's face bit. It seemed to be amusing, and I was able to get rid of some of the whore-paint, as I'd started referring to it in my head.

When it came time for other traditions, though, it was weird. The tossing of the bouquet wasn't so bad. Kim caught it, and she _and_ Jarred went red in the face, which made me slightly suspicious. The garter, though, was awkward for me. I cursed Embry through the mind link as his fingers danced up my leg. He stuck his tongue out at me, then disappeared under my skirts for a second, finding the garter and slipping it off. He threw it into the bachelor crowd, where my brother caught it. Seth looked slightly disgusted at the fact that he was holding the garter that had just been up his sister's skirt.

I was passed around to dance with anyone and everyone, as was Embry. Cassie, Daniella, and Mom all danced with him, while half the guys in the pack, Zeke, and even Charlie took turns with me (Charlie giving up the third time he stepped on my foot). Seth hogged me a time or two, but in the end I was always passed back to my new husband.

Embry's happiness radiated brilliantly, and I knew that I was emanating my own joy. His joy made me joy greater, and I thought I would die from all the happiness and joy I was feeling. He held me in his lap when we were resting from the dancing, and even closer on the dance floor. The feeling of his arms around me and the knowledge that he was forever mine drove me to stand on tiptoe and kiss him many times. I'm sure there were about a thousand pictures taken, and about nine hundred were of me kissing him.

Embry didn't seem to mind him. He took every kiss happily, kissing back excitedly. Sometimes we'd break apart laughing, just at the silliness of our happiness and affection. It was better than any dream wedding I'd ever seen in a movie or in my dreams, and Embry just made everything a million times better.

Finally, it was time to go. Embry and I made our exit to his car, to our new life together.

And it was only the beginning.


End file.
